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First Soprano rehearsal notes

Rehearsal Notes for January 20

Correction from last week:
In measure 11 of “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers,” the question for Jane RF is whether we drop the final quarter of the long held “all”; we do sing “And” at the end of that measure (Thank you, Jane L.!)
OK, here are my notes from yesterday's rehearsal.
Warm-up
  • Keep the shoulders back and the sternum forward
  • Breathe horizontally, front to back and side to side
  • Also, breathe quietly: noisy breathing creates tension
Birds of Passage
  • Universal: Make sure voiced consonants are always on pitch
  • First phrase: Keep legato, with smooth vowels (think airport walkway)
  • Even though the opening B is low, stay in head voice–let the altos take the lead; we can take over a bit on the G# in bar 4 (keep the G# high)
  • On our first entrance, get the “Bl” out of the way so you can land the vowel on the B in time
  • Mm. 83-92: 7/8 bars are conducted 3 + 2 + 2
  • Measure 93: Note the propelling energy of the changed meter–but don't rush
  • Measure 91: Confirm with Jane: no high B?
The Tree House: Landfall
  • Universal: Think 2 beats to the bar (rather than 6)
  • Universal: Keep downward intervals high
  • Mm. 36-37 & 39: Observe the crescendo/decrescendo
  • Measure 38: The fermata is on the 1/8 rather than the dotted 1/4 for the orchestra's benefit; be prepared for the a tempo
  • Mm. 45-46: Think “rugged” rather than “ragged”
  • Mm. 57-60: This phrase is forte, with no diminuendo
  • Measure 60: Drop the “r” of “earth” (think Scottish)
  • Measure 71: Big, quiet breath before this entrance; and put a good “d” on “and”
  • Mm. 72-74: Cross out the first “s” of “blossom” to reduce the impulse to hiss
  • Measure 74: Note the change in text rhythm here, and observe the crescendo through the next measure
  • Mm. 78-80: “Wah-kand no-ti-snow-tice” (i.e., don't put final consonants on too early)
  • Measure 79: Remember the slight rhythmic variation here–“walk and” comes on the final 1/8 of the bar
  • Mm. 83-85: Note the hemiolas in mm. 83-84, then return to the 6/8 rhythm in measure 85
  • Measure 84: Don't move with the altos
  • Mm. 86-88: Keep the vowel forward, with no diphthong
Shadow River
  • Universal: The accompaniment is relentless–keep up!
  • Universal: Keep the breath moving, and maintain a legato sound
  • Universal: The last consonant of one word comes on the first consonant of the next–keep the vowels long
  • Measure 21: Drop the “r” of “undertone”
  • Measure 22: “Power” is one syllable over two 1/8 notes (not pow-er)
  • Measure 23: Maintain the vowel of “land” and put the “nd” on the rest
  • Measure 26: See above note for “bend”
  • Measure 33: Be aware that we move before the other voice parts do
  • Mm. 32-34, 36 & 42: Put a little shadow vowel on the “n” of “alone” 
  • Page 12: Note the time signature changes; also, be aware that this page is the start of a new musical idea
  • Mm. 45-46: “Mid-way twi-xtearth”
Where the Light Begins
  • Universal: Note that this piece is in 12/8–think in 4 rather than 12
  • Universal: Note that a little flag/widget on the left side of a note means it's at the end of a group/beat; on the right, it means it's at the start of a note/beat; perhaps it helps to think of the left-flagged notes as syncopated?
  • But, as Simon said, don't let that get in the way! Once we get the feeling of it, I think we'll be fine!
  • Measure 3 and all similar entrances: The 1/16 comes in at the end of beat 1

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